The Madison Soil and Water Conservation District in cooperation with the Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails (FMCPT) hosted the prairie appreciation bike ride on July 13th. This annual educational bike ride was started eight years ago by botanist and prairie enthusiast, Jack McDowell.

Jack was one of the early "discoverers" of the remnant prairies of Madison and Clark counties and has assisted FMCPT in efforts to manage these prairie treasures in the midst of threats from invasive woody plant and agricultural weed species. Jack passed away last year, but his dream to inspire others to preserve the Ohio prairie is not forgotten.

This year's ride was co-led by Julia Cumming, Program Administrator with Madison Soil and Water Conservation District, Hope Miller who was interning with the district, and John Silvius - professor emeritus of biology at Cedarville University.

Twenty-five people participated in the ride and in addition to learning more about several different species of prairie plants, they were encouraged and challenged to ask questions about what they saw. As a result, a few more people gained an appreciation of the trail and its role in preserving a small part of the prairie. We think that Jack would have been pleased.